Book Review: Tenth Stone by Bodie and Brock Thoene (AD Chronicles #10)

Stars: 1 out of 5
Pros: Some likable characters

Cons: Incomplete climax, fantasy element introduced

The Bottom Line:

Bad theology

In a poorly plotted book

They can do better

It Pains Me to Say That Tenth Stone is a Bad Book from the Thoenes

I have been reading Brock and Bodie Thoene for 20 years now.  With one or two exceptions, I have enjoyed all their books.  (Okay, so there are some I still haven't read, but only due to lack of time).  That's why it pains me to say that their latest novel, Tenth Stone, was a horrid disappointment.

This book is part of the AD Chronicles series, which has been hit or miss at best.  The series has been fictional retellings of familiar stories from the Bible.  We have slowly marched toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Yet the closer we get, the more side trips we seem to be taking.  This is another such side trip, weaving in characters we've already met in the series.  In fact, it starts at the events of the second book, continuing the story of Lily and Cantor, two lepers healed by Jesus.  Also weaving through the book is the story of an older Melchior and Esther.  Melchior was one of the wise men who traveled to worship Jesus at his birth.  The story takes place over a period of time, so by the time we reach the climax, the characters are chronologically where the last two books have ended.

Lily and Cantor's story involves the political intrigue of the day.  Yeshua (Jesus' Hebrew name) sends them out of the country because of the treats to the lives of anyone He has healed.  But will they escape when the intrigue follows them out of Roman territory?

Meanwhile, Melchior and Esther's son Daniel is wasting his life.  He spends his days drinking and gambling.  An attempt to straighten him up just makes the young man more resentful and restless.  What will happen when he leaves home?

Instead of telling a true story from the Bible, the Thoenes have elected to retell one of Jesus' best known parables.  Frankly, that part doesn't bother me, especially since I love the story told.  However, the execution stunk.

Because I already knew the story, I was expecting most of the places this book took me.  I say most and not all because they changed a pretty major detail of the parable.  Frankly, that didn't sit well with me at all because it changes the entire tone of the story.

The characters were a mixed lot.  I liked the returning characters of Lily and Cantor.  It was great to see them again.  Likewise, Melchior and Esther were their old selves, and I enjoyed catching up with them.  I have a feeling we were supposed to sympathize with Daniel, but I found him as annoying as I did sympathetic.  At times I didn't care about what happened to him.  And don't get me started on his older brother and sister-in-law.  There was nothing redeeming about those two.

The book really has no basis in fact or the Bible.  With one exception (which I will get to in a minute), everything here is easily defendable from the Bible, so I have no problem with this book theologically.  Yeshua is even less of a character than normal, but His influence is a major factor in the story.

But we haven't gotten to my two big complaints yet.  (That's right.  I'm just getting warmed up.)  When it comes, the climax is extremely weak.  I actually found myself turning the last few pages asking if that was it.  I don't get what the point of the story was without the ending we know from the parable.  And there are some other characters that need to be seriously put in their place.  Instead, the story just stops.  If they had told the story they way Jesus did, I think they would have had time for the dramatically satisfying climax.  As it was, I was just getting emotionally invested in the climax when the book stopped.

Even worse is that they have now turned this series from historical fiction into fantasy.  I'm trying to be vague here, but they did something in the prologue and epilogue set in modern times that isn't theologically sound, pointless, and ruins their credibility in my eyes.  I don't know how seriously I can take their historical research now that they've changed their playing field like this.  Some will say it's just one character and a minor character at that.  But it seriously ruined things for me.

I'm too much of a fan to turn my back on them completely, but if things don't turn around soon, Tenth Stone will be the beginning of the end of my love of the Thoenes' books.